680 O God Our Help in Ages Past

This hymn, which is a paraphrase of Psalm 90 by the great English hymn writer, Isaac Watts, is considered one of the grandest in the whole realm of English hymnody.  Originally consisting of 9 stanzas, it is a grand commentary on the whole subject of time.  Often this hymn is uses on the occasion of the first or last Sunday of the year as well as other festive occasions such as retirement.  The hymn was first published in Isaac Watts' 1719 publication The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament. In this hymnal he paraphrased the entire psalter (with the exception or 12 psalms that he considered 'unsuited'). This hymn possibly represents the finest of all 600+ hymns he wrote.  This hymn is still used at all festive occasion in England. Another of the favorite English hymns include the seasonal favorite, "Joy to the World" which was a paraphrase of hymn 98.  This was not originally written for Christmas but has become one of the most beloved Christmas carols associated with the holiday.

Watts is considered the father of English hymnody and he was concerned with the low ebb of music in the churches.  At his time the church only used ponderous hymn-psalms.  One day Watts' father challenged his son to write something better for congregational singing.  That began a 2-year process of writing a new hymn for congregational singing every week! Because of Watts' commitment  to use "hymns of human composure", he was considered a radical churchman in his day.

Watts was also a true scholar and literary genius whose writings included essays, discussions of psychology, three volumes of sermons and catechisms, twenty nine treatises on theology, textbooks on logic and a variety of other works. These works had a powerful impact upon the thinking of the late 17th and early 18th century. When he died in 1748, he was extended one of the highest honors for any Englishman by being interred in Westminster Abbey. 

A hymn text of this stature deserves an equally significant hymn tune.  The tune associated with this text was composed by William Croft in 1708.  Croft was a well-trained church musician, having earned his Doctorate in Music from Oxford University.  He was the organist at the Church of St. Anne in Soho, London, during the reign of Queen Anne.  It was quite common during his time for composers to name their newly composed tunes after where they lived or worked.

The evidence of the significance of this tune is borne out by the fact that it was used by master composers such as George Frederick Handel in an anthem entitled "O Praise the Lord. "  While Bach made use of it in his great Fugue in E-Flat Major, often called "St. Anne's Fugue."

107 Good Christian Men, Rejoice

This particular hymn could truly be identified as a folk song...and a very old one at that. In 1601, Bartholomaeus Gesius adapted a tune that he already knew of previously. He called the "new" tune, In Dulci Jubilo which literally means, " With Sweet Shouting." When Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) found the tune, he wrote and arrangement for the organ published in The Liturgical Year. John Stainer also wrote a choral arrangement.

The words come from Latin but very early on the Germans translated it and added some thoughts to the pre-existing words. Many other language groups have also translated and/or adapted it for their own usage. The great translator, John Neale Mason ("O Come O Come Emmanuel" and "Good King Wencelslas" among others) standardized the hymn in English.

As proof of the variety of versions of this favorite carol, it is reported that in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1745, a gathering of Moravian missionaries sang this carol to thirteen different European and native American languages. In the spirit of that variety, I am offering three different versions of the popular carol. Our Mens' Occasional Choir will be singing it as the opening song this coming Sunday.  Please come and enjoy them.  In the meantime, enjoy these different versions.

This first version is a choral arrangement accompanied by harpsichord while you can view the German words and their translation.

 

The second version is a traditional choir and organ accompaniment

The last version shows an instrumental rendition synchronized with Christmas lights.

66 O Come O Come Emmanuel

This Sunday marks the start of the period known as Advent in liturgical traditions.  It lasts for the four Sundays preceding Christmas and is a season of anticipation and waiting for the birth of Jesus--the first coming of the Messiah to earth.  It also marks the beginning of the Church Year.  This year, this weekend also coincides with the fourth day of the eight day Jewish holiday of Chanukah. Both holidays stress the importance of light and the giving and receiving of gifts.

 The festival of Chanukah commemorates a period in Jewish history over 2,500 years ago when the Jewish holy temple was taken over by Syrian-Greek forces whose king, Antiochus, ordered the people to renounce Judaism or face death.. A small bunch of rebels known as the Maccabees, led by Jewish priest Matisyahu and later on his son Judah, fought back and eventually recaptured the temple, only to discover when they did that there was only enough oil left inside to keep its holy light – which must never be extinguished – lit for one more day. Except by some miracle it remained burning for eight days till new oil could be made.

Christ's coming was first prophesied in the 6th century BC when the Jews were in captivity in Babylon.  For many centuries afterwards, the Jews looked longingly for the birth of the Messiah.  They foreshadowed the prayer in this hymn text "and ransom captive Israel."

The hymn this week, "O Come O Come Emmanuel",  is an interesting combination of text and musical style.  Originally, the song, eight stanzas long was meant to be sung one verse per day beginning on December 17.  The stanzas may be used as antiphons with "The Song of Mary." Antiphons are short statements sung at the beginning of the Psalm or of the Magnificat (Mary's song of praise when she learned that she was had been chosen as Jesus's mother), at Vespers (services held at night).  The text was originally developed without the chorus ("Rejoice, Rejoice, Emmanuel"), and each verse concentrates on a different biblical name for Christ.  The word Emmanuel means "God With Us" Other names of Christ in this song include, Lord of Might,  Wisdom, Rod of Jesse,. Day-spring,Key of David,  and Desire of Nations.

The text, originally in Latin, dates to sometime between the 9th and 12th centuries. In any event, there is no doubt that this hymn had its origins in the medieval Roman church.  This song is included in virtually all hymnals and contain various numbers of stanzas.  Stanzas 1 and 4 were translated by John Mason Neale ("Good King Wenceslas" "Of the Father's Love Begotten" among others). The tune that we use now is called Veni, veni, Emmanuel, and is a plainsong in Mode 1, Processionale from the 15th century. The version we use now, hautingly beautiful in its minor key,  was adapted by Thomas Helmore in the 19th century.

Here are the words as they appear in the Lutheran Hymnal:
Oh, Come, Oh, Come Emmanuel
Translated: John Neal, 1818-66

1. Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.   
Chorus: Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

2. Oh, come, our Wisdom from on high,
Who ordered all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go.

Chorus

3. Oh, come, oh, come, our Lord of might,
Who to your tribes on Sinai's height
In ancient times gave holy law,
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Chorus

4. Oh, come O Rod of Jesse's stem,
From ev'ry foe deliver them
That trust your mighty pow'r to save;
Bring them in vict'ry through the grave.
Chorus

5. Oh, come, O Key of David, come,
And open wide our heav'nly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Chorus

6. Oh, come, our Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by your drawing nigh,
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Chorus

7. Oh, come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Oh, bid our sad divisions cease,
And be yourself our King of Peace.
Chorus

8. Repeat verse 1

365 Come Thou Almighty King

 This hymn is a favorite opening hymn and it's four verses are a perfect treatise to the Holy Trimity. Because of that, all four verses are almost always sung. The fourth verse is an affirmation of the mysterious doctrine of the Holy Trinity. As a matter of fact, this hymn appeared to celebrate Trinity Sunday in the year in 1757. The author of the text is unknown but it first came out in London. Even though this hymn text was first published in a pamphlet from the Wesleys, most musicologist doubt that either of the Wesleys authored this.

About15 years earlier, the British national hymn "God Save Our Gracious King," first came into existence.  Both of these hymn texts were sung to the same hymn tune for a period of time. Today, however, that tune, "America" is used exclusively in this country for our national hymn, "My Country, 'Tis of Thee." The tune, "Italian Hymn" has been wedded permanently together with this text in all major hymnals.

It has been suggested that the newer text was written as an act of rebellion and as a substitute for the royal words and this is the reason the author chose to remain anonymous. Another theory suggested that this text was written as a sequel to the earlier text; the first was written as a tribute to an earthly ruler, the other a prayer to a heavenly King.

Although we are not sure about the truth of this story, there is an interesting tale of the hymn's use during the time of the Revolutionary War. According to the story, British soldiers invaded an American church service one Sunday morning and demanded that the congregation sing, "God Save Our Gracious King." The people in the church responded with the requested tune but with he words, "Come Thou Almighty King."

The tune that is paired with the words, "Italian Hymn" was composed especially for this tune by Felice de Giardini in 1769. The composer was born in Turin, Italy in 1716. He moved to London where he became a popular violinist in operatic circles. Later, he moved to Moscow as an operatic conductor and died there in 1796. 

416 For the Beauty of the Earth

The town of Bath, England, with its amphitheater of hills and warm springs, has been a pleasure resort and health spa since Roman times.  That was the birthplace of the author of this text, Folliot Pierpoint.  Pierpopint left Bath to attend Queens College, Cambridge University where he became a classical scholar. When he was 29, he returned to his hometown ti become a teacher at Somershire College.

One spring day, Folliot found himself walking in the countryside on the banks of the Avon River.  He was overwhelmed with the beauty around him--the ocean of green hills, the blue sky dome and the flowery landscape. So taken was he with God's creative handiwork, he wrote this poem, which was entitled "The Sacrifice of Praise" which first appeared in a collection of poems in 1864.

Not much else is known about the author.  He was a lay member of the Anglican Church and he intended this poem primarily for Communion services in the Anglican Church, but when the song jumped over the Atlantic, it quickly became associated with the American Thanksgiving.  When he left the employ of Somershire College, he became an independent writer and authored seven volumes of poems and hymn texts, much of them showing his love of nature. His main claim to fame is this beautiful hymn.

This is one of a few songs that is devoted to thanksgiving.  Each stanza thanks God for a different kind of beauty and was originally 8 verses long. Each stanza concludes with the phrase, "Lord of all to Thee we raise/this our hymn of grateful praise." The hymn text expresses in fine literary style the many blessings so commonly taken for granted.  The text begins by reminding us that God, the giver of every good and perfect gift, has given us the beauties of nature--sun, flowers, shining stars.  Then the author reminds us to also be grateful of the social joys of friends and home.  Finally we are to give thanks for the ministry of the church.

Many hymnals contain the combination of this text with it's best-known musical pairing, the hymn tune "Dix" by the composer Conrad Kocher, a German born composer.  The tune produces lovely antiphonal (echoing) of the phrases.  This arrangement is very simple and features piano accompaniment to a solo voice with beautiful pictures.

718 God of Our Fathers

---

This hymn is often called the National Hymn. The author of the words is Daniel Roberts.  He was the pastor of a rural church in Brandon Vermont.  In 1876, he wrote these words to commemorate the centennial celebration for the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  It was sung for the first time for the Independence Day celebration in Brandon.

Roberts decided to submit the words to the committee planning the celebration for the US Constitution. The committee chose it as the official hymn for the occasion and sent the text to the organist at St. Thomas Episcopal in New York City to compose an original tune.  The new tune, with a dramatic trumpet flourish at the beginning, was introduced in New York City at the 400th  anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus.

This version is by the "President's Own" Band i.e. the Marine Band.  It is stately, regal and inspiring. A special arrangement was played for the first inauguration of Ronald Regan.   It is also often played/sung at State Funerals as it was for the funerals of John F. Kennedy and Ronald Regan.  In addition, it was played at the memorial service for the Columbia  astronauts in 2003.

Reverend Roberts was a humble man and he wrote six years before his death in 1907, "I remain a country parson, known only within my small world." Thanks to this great hymn, he is known all across our land in celebration and mourning. 

Here are the words from Daniel Robert's great text:

God of our fathers, whose almighty hand
Leads forth in beauty all the starry band
Of shining worlds in splendor through the skies,
Our grateful songs before Thy throne arise.

Thy love divine hath led us in the past;
In this free land by Thee our lot is cast;
Be Thou our ruler, guardian, guide and stay,
Thy Word our law, Thy paths our chosen way.

From war's alarms, from deadly pestilence,
Be Thou strong arm our ever sure defense; 
Thy true religion in our hearts increase,
Thy bounteous goodness nourish us in peace. 

Refresh Thy people on their toilsome way;
Lead us from night to never-ending day;
Fill all our lives with love and grace divine,
And glory laud, and praise be ever Thine.

287 For All the Saints Who From Their Labor Rest

This hymn is usually used for All Saints Sunday, November 1.  Bishop William How wrote this hymn in 1864 in praise of the faithful deeds of a score of Old Testament. He cited Hebrews 12:1 ("Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.") . But he actually used Hebrews 11 for his inspiration.  That chapter discusses what faith is  and all the deed of faith done by Old Testament individuals: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses,  and more.

Bishop How could have been considered a hero of fiath himself during his time.  He was a man of the people, regularly reaching out to minister to the poor and needy in his area.  Always humble, he once listed the characteristics that a minister should have, including among others, "being wholly without thought of self." Family and friends how knew him best were certain that he fit that description.

His son wrote his biography that "It is the fate of a hymn-writer to be forgotten.  The hymn remains; the name of the writer passes away." To those who knew the Bishop, the man would have agreed. Further, How was quoted ,"but to be a blessing is the abundant satisfaction of those who find their loving service of their fellow man."

My own mother, born in 1913, would have agreed with the Bishop.  Her advice to me from the time I was very young was, "the best thing to do with your life is to serve the Lord and serve others."  I hope I am making her proud through my organ playing and my counseling.

The composer of the hymn was the great British composer, Ralph Vaugh Williams. Vaughan Williams was born on the 12th October, 1872 in the Cotswold village of Down Ampney. He was educated at Charterhouse School, then Trinity College, Cambridge. Later he was a pupil of Stanford and Parry at the Royal College of Music, after which he studied with Max Bruch in Berlin and Maurice Ravel in Paris.

At the turn of the century he was among the very first to travel into the countryside to collect folk-songs and carols from singers, notating them for future generations to enjoy. As musical editor of The English Hymnal he composed several hymns that are now world-wide favorites (For all the Saints, Come down O love Divine). Later he also helped to edit The Oxford Book of Carols, with similar success. Before the war he had met and then sustained a long and deep friendship with the composer Gustav Holst. Vaughan Williams volunteered to serve in the Field Ambulance Service in Flanders for the 1914-1918 war, during which he was deeply affected by the carnage and the loss of close friends such as the composer George Butterworth.

For many years Vaughan Williams conducted and led the Leith Hill Music Festival, conducting Bach's St Matthew Passion on a regular basis. He also became professor of composition at the Royal College of Music in London. In his lifetime, Vaughan Williams eschewed all honors with the exception of the Order of Merit which was conferred upon him in 1938.

He died on the 26th August 1958; his ashes are interred in Westminster Abbey, near Purcell. In a long and productive life, music flowed from his creative pen in profusion. Hardly a musical genre was untouched or failed to be enriched by his work, which included nine symphonies, five operas, film music, ballet and stage music, several song cycles, church music and works for chorus and orchestra.

410 Praise My Soul Thou King of Heaven

Henry Francis Lyte, the author of this, his second setting of psalm 103, was born in Scotland in 1793.  Originally Lyte wanted to become a medical doctor but changed his mind later and went to theological college.  In 1815 he took Holy Order in the Church of England. He wrote more than 83 hymns and paraphrases of psalms.

This particular hymn text first appeared set together with this tune in 1834.  The tune, Lauda Anima was composed for this particular text and was published together in 1869.  It quickly became a favorite and was used as the processional hymn for the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II in 1947.

The composer of this tune was John Goss whose musical career started as a chorister in the Chapel Royal.  In 1856, he was appointed as the composer for the Chapel Royal

671 Amazing Grace

This week we will be profiling perhaps one of the best known and most beloved hymn: Amazing
Grace.  The author of the words is John Newton whose story was told in a great movie several years ago.  The tune name is Amazing Grace and is from the Virginia Harmony hymnbook of 1831.

In a small cemetery of a small churchyard in Olney England, there is a tombstone with this inscription, "John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and Libertine, a servant of slavers in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the Faith he had long labored to destroy."  This testimonial was written by John Newton, himself during what has been described as an unusual and colorful life.

John Newton's mother, a godly woman, died when John was just seven years old. he related that she taught hi Bible passages and hymns despite her frail health. When John's father remarried, he was sent away to boarding school.  At the age of 11, he left school and began his life as a seaman.  His early years were described as a round of rebellion and debauchery.  He eventually became the captain of own ship that captured, transported and sold slaves to the plantations of the West Indies and America.  It was a difficult, often cruel lifestyle.

On the night of March 9, 1748 when Newton was 23, the ship encountered a particularly brutal storm that arose too quickly to prepare adequately for.  The next day he cried out to the Lord for deliverance.  He later wrote, "That tenth of Match is a day much remembered by me; I have never suffered it to pass unnoticed since the year 1748--the Lord came from on high and delivered me out of deep waters."

The next several years saw slow halting spiritual growth but he ended his career as one of the most powerful evangelical preachers in British history. He was eventually ordained in the Anglican church, and despite the fact it wasn't done in the Anglican communion, he often held services in the surrounding area.  During these sessions, he told the story of his conversion experience and early life. In the end, he became one of fhe most powerful preachers in British history, a powerful foe of slavery and the author of hundreds of hymns. It is also interesting to note that his life after his conversion had been an opponent and in the year he died, 1807, the British Parliament finally abolished slavery.

Originally the hymn was entitled "Faith's Review and Expectation." There were 6 verses and the text was based on 1Chronicle 17:16-17

686 Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

These week as we look at the theme of grace during our sermons, we have a musical story of a grace-filled life. Robert Robinson had a rough beginning and was himself prone to wander.  His father died when he was young and his mother had a rough time controlling him so she apprenticed him to a barber when he was 14.  He didn't really take it too seriously and often spent time reading and playing with friends rather than cutting hair. He became the leader of a notorious gang and was almost disowned by his family.

in 1752 when Robinson was 17, he and his friends visited a fortune teller.  They had been drinking quite a lot so they laughed about the whole thing.  Young Robert, however, was quite discomforted about their experiences, and although he suggested the young men go to the meeting to make fun of the traveling preacher, he talked them into going to hear the evangelist George Whitefield.

Whitefield was one of history's greatest preachers with a voice that"was part foghorn and part violin."  As the young men were nodding off because of the alcohol, the foghorn voice yelled "Brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee the wrath to come? Oh my hearers, the wrath to come!  The wrath to come!"

Upon hearing his words, Robinson immediately sobered up and sensed the speaker was preaching directly to him. The preachers words haunted him for almost 3 years until December 10, 1755.

Robert soon entered the ministry and at the age of 23 while serving Calvinist Methodist Chapel in Norfolk, England, he wrote this hymn for his sermon on Pentecost Sunday.  It was a prayer that the Holy Spirit flood into all of our hearts with God's grace and streams of mercy.

There are two different stories about how Robinson's life ended.  One story related that he had been invited to Birmingham, England to preach for Dr. Joseph Priestly, a noted Unitarian.  There he was found the next morning dead at the age of 54.

Another story relates that Robinson in later life did stray from the faith and drifted from the "Fount of Every Blessing."  It is said that one day he was riding in a stagecoach and was sitting by a woman who was reading a hymnbook. She showed him the hymn "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing," saying how wonderful it was.  He tried to change the subject but was unable to.  Finally, he said, "Madam, I am the poor man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds to enjoy the feelings I had then."

Whichever end of life story you prefer to believe, there is one thing that no one disagrees with:  this is a beautifully elegant 3 verse prayer that has the power to elicit feelings of gratitude for the grace God has given us and continues to give us.

These verses were set to the tune Nettleton. The source for the melody is widely believed to a traditional American melody that first appeared in A Repository of Sacred Music, Part II, in 1813.

Please do not skip listening to this amazing rendition of this hymn.  It is sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir accompanied by orchestra and organ.  Enjoy!

494 Crown him with Many Crowns

Once again, our hymn of the week conversation concerns a discussion of conversion.  The author of the words is Matthew Bridges and he considered his hymn as a sermon in song.  His text was based on Revelation 19:12, ".....and on His head were many crowns."  He originally called his hymn, "The Song of the Seraphs" and it consisted of 6 verses.

Bridges once wrote a book condemning Roman Catholics; he later converted to Catholicism in 1848 and this hymn text was written in 1851.  He followed John Henry Newman out of the Church of England.  He lived for a while in Quebec, Canada before returning to England.

In 1874, a devout Anglican clergyman, Godfrey Thring, feared that Bridges' verses smacked too much of Catholic doctrine.  Bridges' verse 2 had references to the Virgin Mary and Thring decided to add some verses to the text.  Godfrey also wrote 6 verses.  Over the years, these 12 stanzas have become intermingled in hymnbooks, with editors mixing and matching verses.  Most hymnbooks contain 4 or 5 verses.

The composer of the tune, Diademata, was George Job Elvey.  Born into a musical family, Elvey started his musical career as a boy, singing at Canterbury Cathedral. Later, he received more formal training at the Royal Academy of Music. Around 1835, he was appointed master of the boys and organist at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor (one of his tunes, St. George’s Windsor, [the text usually used today with this tune is "Come Ye Thankful People Come"] takes its name from this location). He served at St. George’s for almost half a century. He was knighted in 1871 for his Festival March, played at the wedding of Princess Louise.  This hymn tune is not used for other texts in the mainline hymnals today.

In honor of Bridge's time in Canada, this weeks video contains not only the original text I grew up singing, but also some gorgeous photography from Canada.  Enjoy!

397 Now Thank We All Our God

Gratitude and thankfulness are a common theme in scripture.  There are 138 passages of scripture on the subject of thanksgiving and some are powerfully worded.  In 1Thessalonians, Paul wrote "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Although there are not that many hymns devoted exclusively to thanking God, the hymn of the week for this week is one of the best known and most beloved hymns on both sides of the Atlantic and around the world concerning this topic.  The German Christians sing this hymn as frequently as we Americans sing the Doxology.

The author of this text, Martin Rinkart (1586-1659) was a Lutheran pastor in a village in Saxony.  His family was poor and his father was a coppersmith but that didn't stop young Martin from feeling and pursuing a call into the ministry.  Rinkart began his pastoral work just as the 30 Years' War was raging in Germany.

That time was a desperate time as refugees flooded the walled city of Eilenberg, Rinkart's hometown.  The Swedish army surrounded the city gates and inside there was nothing but plague, famine and fear resulting in increasing numbers of death.  800 homes were destroyed while the pastors were extraordinarily strained attempting to preach the gospel, took care of the sick and dying and burying the dead.  As the seige and plague continued, the pastors themselves began taking ill and dying until only Martin Rinkart was left alive; it was said that he often officiated as many as 50 funerals.

The town was overrun 3 different times, first the Swedish army, then the Austrians and then the Swedes again.  Afterwards, Martin Rinkart became a negotiator with the Swedish enemy after they demanded a huge ransom from the impoverished city residents.  He did it with such courage and faith that there was soon a conclusion of the hostilities.   Rinkart knew that there could be no real healing for the survivors of Eilenberg, so he composed this hymn; it has been sung around the world ever since.

This majestic tune was written by one of German's finest and most prolific composers, Johann Cruger who first published a hymnal in 1644.  This was such a fine hymnal, that there were 44 editions between 1644-1731.  This combination of tune and text appeared in the 1647 edition.

When I went to YouTube to select a video to include with this entry, I was struck at how many different versions there are available of this song.  I selected two different ones.  One is an arrangement by the modern English composer, John Rutter sung by Cambridge Singers.  Enjoy!

 

Being an organist, I couldn't resist sharing this video of the greatest female organist of the 20th century, Diane Bish playing an arrangement by Karg-Elert of this tune.  It is also a special piece for me because we used it as the postlude after the recessional when my husband and I got married in 1995.  Enjoy this organ virtuosity. 

 

711 Seek Ye First

A graduate of Eastern New Mexico University, Karen Lafferty music, finishing with a degree in choral music and oboe.  She also played pain, saxophone and guitar.  She became interested in climbing the ladder in show business so she started singing in saloons in New Orleans.

She realized as a Christian that the saloon life in New Orleans was not what she wanted to do so she renewed her commitment to the Lord and decided to use her talents for Him.  She auditioned for the Campus Crusade for Christ's chorus but was turned down.  It didn't have to do with her musical ability but rather her maturity as a Christian; she was crushed.  She decided to give guitar lessons but ended up with only 3 students--not nearly enough to support herself.

She was feeling crushed and discouraged--at the lowest part of her life, in fact when he went to a Bible study.  During that study that night, the group looked at the passage from Matthew 6 about how God takes care of the birds of the air.  In that study was the verse, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His Righteousness."  That evening she went home and began absent mindedly plucking on the guitar when suddenly this verse and melody came out.  She said, "That was it.  I went to bed and slept in peace, confident that God would do something."

One thing that is interesting as we look at many of the back-stories behind the hymns, often the writer and/or composer has spent part of their life living what we could say was an ungodly lifestyle.  However, God still uses them to do His work.

522 Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken

For this week's blog, we ask the question:  How are the great Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn, the American Confederate Civil War General Stonewall Jackson, and Adolph Hitler connected? Our blog answers that question. 

Oh yes, there is also another "Amazing Connection"

Haydn, born in 1732,  had a modest childhood growing up in a town in Eastern Austria receiving his musical training as a choir boy in Vienna--until his voice changed.  After studying composition and working for a Bohemian nobleman, Haydn entered the service of Prince Paul Anton Esterhazy.  That was the beginning of a musically fruitful 30 years of service.  Haydn also received a Doctor of Music Degree from Oxford University and spent several season conducting concerts and composing many new works while in the service of Prince Paul's son, Nicholas. Haydn's prodigious output includes 104 symphonies, 83 string quartets, 52 piano sonatas, 18 operas and 14 masses in addition to chamber music, songs, arias, oratorios, and other liturgical music.  He was a devout Christian who regarded himself as a steward of the gifts God had given him and prefaced each of his scores with "In nominee Domini" and closed them with "Laus Deo."

After trips to England in 1791 and 1794, Haydn was so impressed with the nationalistic singing of "God Save the Queen."  He wanted to have a piece for Austria. Someone wrote the words and Haydn wrote the music, probably based on a Hungarian or Croatian folk song.  Haydn later used used it in his Quartet in C, Opus 76, number 5.  During World War II, Hitler forbade the playing of the Quartet by musicians because he was afraid it would stir up nationalistic fervor in the Austrians.  It is reported that at one particular playing in Hitler's presence, when this theme was played the quartet played it in a minor key to disguise the true identity of the melody. Ironically after the war, the tune Austria was used for the German national anthem.

What about Stonewall Jackson?  He was a military genius and a wonderful Christian.  His men said of him, "If he ain't a-fightin', he's a-prayin'."  If he wasn't fighting or praying, he was singing hymns.  The fact that he couldn't carry a tune didn't seem to bother him in the least. This hymn was one of his favorites and one night in 1862, his army was bivouacked in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.  The soldiers had marched 52 miles that day and were exhausted when they heard a strange singing.  The general had watched over his soldiers all night and now the General in his scruffy beard, slouched hat and unkempt hair had his face turned heavenward singing, "On the rock of Ages founded / What can shake my sure repose? / With salvations's walls surrounded, / Thou mayst smile at all thy foes."

Finally the amazing connection:  the words we use today were translated/written by John Newton, the author of the great hymn "Amazing Grace."

8 Morning Has Broken

This song has a rather unusual story complete with interesting twists and turns.  We think it was probably a Galeic hymn tune originally.  In Scotland in the 1880s,  a wandering minstrel was singing the tune when someone noted the melody and preserved it for posterity.  In 1918, a Scotish poet put words to the melody using the title: "Child in the Manger."  In the 1920s, the editor of a British hymnal was looking for a light and happy hymn to sing at the beginning of a new day, and he wanted it sung to the old Gaelic tune.

Eleanor Farjeon,  a well-known playwright, novelist, and journalist, who had been on a long spiritual journey, was invited to write words to the tune now known as Bunessan.  Eleanor, who became an Anglican as a teenager was originally of Jewish descent.  She had dabbled in "alternative" beliefs including reincarnation.  She was received into the Catholic church when she was 70 after living a Bohemian lifestyle.  She called the text based, on Genesis 1:5,  "Thanks for the Day."

The song took its most famous twist in the 1970s when it was recorded by a devout Muslim....Cat Stevens;  it made it to the top of the pop charts.

Please enjoy this version, sung by Steven Curtis Chapman.  This video is especially appropriate for those of us who live on the coast.

       

688 A Mighty Fortress is our God

We tend to think of Martin Luther mainly as a great reformer, Bible translator (he translated the Bible from Latin into his native language, German), political leader, fiery preacher, and theologian.  But he was also a great musician.  The poet Samuel Coleridge once said of Luther, "He did as much for the Reformation with his hymns as he did through his translation of the Bible."  It was natural for Luther to value music as he grew up in an area of Germany that was known for its music.  Undoubtedly he grew up listening to his mother sing.  He also joined a boys' choir that sang at weddings and funerals, and he became proficient with the recorder (flute).

Luther had an important part to play in the Protestant Reformation.  He was determined to restore worship to the German Church.  He worked with other musicians to create new music for Christians and he himself wrote a number of hymns. It is said that he occasionally 'borrowed' popular secular melodies for his hymns; though occasionally when a tune brought too much criticism, he was "compelled to let the devil have it back again" because it was too closely associated with bars and taverns.

In addition to his musical and translating contributions, Luther was known for posting his Ninety-five Theses (points of belief and commitment) on the door of the Wittenberg Church in October, 1517.  Because of his rabble-rousing positions on doctrine, he faced continual threats to his life and he came to know and understand the gracious power of God's sheltering hand.

"A Mighty Fortress is Our God" is undoubtedly one of his greatest hymns.  The words are based on Psalm 46 and show's Luther's awareness of our intense struggle with Satan.  This is a difficult hymn to translate because the original German words are so vivid; therefore we have about 80 different English versions available.

Enjoy this version of "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir while marveling the beautiful pictures of God's creations.

Few people are aware of the fact the Martin Luther also wrote one of our most beloved Christmas carols, "Away in a Manger."

How Great Thou Art

This hymn as we now know it is really only about 30 years old.  For a 20th century hymn, it has quickly become a world-wide favorite.  It was introduced to American audiences at Stony Brook Bible College in 1951  but it wasn't until Cliff Barrows and Bev Shea of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Team used it during the famed London Crusade, that the hymn started to become universally well-known.

The original source for the words was a Swedish poem by the Reverend Carl Boberg written in 1886.  His inspiration for this text is said to have come from a visit to a beautiful country estate on the southern coast of Sweden.  He was caught in a awe-inspiring thunderstorm which swung between flashing violence followed by a clearing calm punctuated by a clear brilliant sun and the sweet songs of nearby trees. The experience prompted the pastor to fall to his knees in humble adoration of his mighty God and he penned a nine-stanza hymn.  Several years later the Swedish pastor was surprised to hear a congregation sing his poem to the tune of an old Swedish melody.

A generation later in the early 1920s English missionary Stuart Hine and his wife were ministering in Poland where they learned there was a Russian version of Boberg's poem sung to the Swedish melody.  The text was subsequently translated into German.  In 1925, the Reverend Gustav Johnson translated the original Swedish text into English.  This translation is quite different than what we typically use today but may still be found in some hymnals.  in 1927, the German was translated into the Russian language.

Stuart Hine arranged the poem into a hymn version based on an experience as he was ministering in the Carpatian mountains.  He was deeply impressed by the beauty of the woods and forest glades.  The fourth verse was written after he returned to England.

Is it any wonder that it is a world-wide favorite? A discussion of How Great thou Art is not complete without hearing the great George Beverly Shea singing it as part of a Billy Graham service. Enjoy!

493 O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing

The author of this hymn text is the well known Wesley brother, Charles.  When he and his brother sent word of their conversion to their mother, Susanna, she didn't know exactly what to think of it.  She replied, "....not that I can think that you were totally without saving faith before, but it is one thing to have faith, and another thing to be sensible we have it."

His conversion resulted in Charles' changed life and he gained control of both his temper and his "unfortunate drinking habit." He also began to spread the news of what had happened to him through a new vitality that became part of his preaching.  Charles started a new area of ministry:  prison, working at the infamous Newgate Prison.  He allowed himself to be locked up with condemned men on nights before their execution so he could comfort and witness to them during their final hours. 

At the first anniversary of his conversion approached, he wrote an 18 verse hymn describing his praise to the Lord.  It was titled, "For the Anniversary Day of One's Conversion." Verse 7 began, "O for a thousand tongues to sing" inspired by words Charles had once heard "Had I a thousand tongues, I would praise Him with them all."

Beginning with a 1767 hymnbook, the seventh verse was made the first and in John Wesley's compilation Collection of Hymns in 1780, this became the first hymn in the book.  Today we usually sing verses 7,8,9, and 10 of the original .

This week's video is a combination of new and traditional music.  The original hymn is heard at the beginning with contemporary refrains between the verses.  Hope you enjoy this selection.

693 Just as I am Without One Plea

Charlotte Elliott, the author of the text for this hymn, spent much of her life as an embittered woman.  Charlotte was born in Brighton England but ended up with in bad health was a disability the followed her.  She felt that if God really loved her, "He would not have treated me this way."  She often railed against God and her family in violent outbursts.

Finally in 1822 a minister, Dr. Cesar Malan visited her and after one of her outbursts, her embarrassed family left Charlotte alone with the visitor.  He observed that she became embittered and now had nothing else in the world to cling to.  He told her that faith in God would be a cure to her bitterness and all she had to do to embrace the faith that could relieve her of her disappointment was to, "give yourself to God just as you are now, with your fightings, fears, hates and love, pride and shame."

Charlotte did come just as she was and her heart was changed that day.  Years later when her brother was raising funds for a school for the children of poor clergymen, Charlotte wrote a poem.  The poem was printed and sold all across England.  The poem was the source for this hymn text and has become the most famous invitational hymn in history.  It has become synonymous with the Billy Graham crusades. 

Miss Elliott lived to be 82 (in 1871) and wrote about 149 additional hymns, despite the fact that her health never improved.  After her death, her family found over a thousand letters she had kept in which people expressed their gratitude for the way this hymn had touched their lives.

William Bradbury wrote the music used for this text. Other hymn  tunes by Bradbury include "Jesus Loves Me This I Know", "He Leadeth Me", "Sweet Hour of Prayer", "Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us."

The video this week is the great Mahalia Jackson singing this hymn.  Although the text is not there, there isn't any doubt what the words are about. A commentator once said about Mahalia, "she wasn't singing for a crowd or a congregation; she was singing for God. She just allowed us to listen while she did."

401 The God of Abraham Praise

The God of Abraham Praise is probably one of the most "Jewish" of Christian hymns. Its roots go back to medieval Jewish scholar Moses Maimonides (1135-1204),  Maimonides wrote a confession of faith containing 13 creeds. The completion of the hymn as we have it today took several centuries.
The tune we now use Yigdal was coposed in 1404 by Daniel ben Judah who was a liturgical poet in Rome.  He wrote a doxology of 13 stanzas sung in Jewish synagogues even in the present day.

In 1770 the tune was sung in London's Great Synagogue where it was heard by Thomas Olivers, an orphan who was born in Wales.  He was called, " the worst boy known for 30 years.  Oliver was thrown out of town at 18 when he wandered down to Bristol, England and heard an evangelist, George Whitefiled.  By the time Whitefiled's sermon ended that night, Olivers was converted and became, in his own words, "a new creature."  He became a traveling evangelist, acquired the music, and converted into a Christian hymn of 13 stanzas.

Thomas annotated each verse with scripture reference for almost every line.  It appeared in 1785.  The song that began in medieval times in the 12th and 13th century and came down to us in the final form appearing in a hymnal for the first time in 1785.

This week you have a choice of which version you prefer.  The first one is the more traditional hymn version--much like we actually sing it in church--except for the fact our organ is not as large. This version is with organ accompaniment from the First Presbyterian Church and was recorded in 2009.The traditional version is strong and in a minor key.

 The second version is much less traditional and is by an artist named Fernando Ortega and was recorded on September 7, 2012.  Both versions contain the hymn text, but his version, an instrumental one, is much more contemplative and meditative.  It's amazing how different the hymn sounds in the different versions. Enjoy!

488 Be Thou my Vision

To understand the story of the Irish song, "Be Thou My Vision" it is necessary to start with St. Patrick.  He was born around 373 A.D. along the banks of the River Clyde in what is now Scotland.  His father was a deacon and his grandfather was a priest.  In 389, after his village was torched by pirates, he was hauled aboard their ship and taken to Ireland as a slave.

Patrick eventually escaped and returned home but not before he himself became profoundly aware "of my unbelief."  One night while he was asleep he had a vision of an Irishman pleading with him to come evangelize Ireland.  He returned to his captors when he was about 30 and set about evangelizing him with only the Latin Bible in his hand. The country was largely populated by Druids who were superstitious of him and sought his death.  However, his preaching was powerful and Patrick became one of the most effective evangelists of all time planting about 200 churches and baptizing 100,000 converts.

His writing and his preaching endured long after his death and the Irish church was still producing his hymns, prayers, sermons and songs of worship centuries later.  In the 8th century, an unknown poet wrote a prayer asking God to be his vision, his wisdom, and his best thought.

In 1905,Mary Elizabeth Byrne,a scholar in Dublin translated the Irish poem into English; Eleanor Hull of Manchester England crafted it into verses with rhyme and meter.  A short time after that, the re-worked, translated poem was set to a traditional Irish folk song, entitle "Slane," named for an area where Patrick reportedly challenged local Druids with the gospel. This video contains an extra verse that is typically not included in most hymnals--no modern day hymnals contain all 8 verses.This arrangement has a nice Celtic feel to it. 

390 Praise to The Lord, the Almighty

People have been singing praises to God for as long as there have been people.  Music has a way of opening one's heart in ways that mere speaking does not.  Beginning with this entry, you will have an opportunity to learn about the "back story" to many of the great hymns of faith and inspiration.

This Sunday we will be singing one of the great songs of Christendom: "Praise to The Lord the Almighty."  The music for this hymn first appeared in a German hymnal or Gesangbuch dating from 1665. The tune is entitled Lobe Den Herren and is only used with this particular hymn text.

The text was written by Joachim Neander who was born in 1650.  Joachim came from a line of four previous Joachim Neanders, all of whom were preachers.  The youngest Joachim did not want to follow in his predecessors' footsteps.  As a matter of fact, when he was 20 years old, he joined a group of rowdy students who wanted to ridicule and scoff at worshipers at St. Martin's Church.  The preacher that night was so persuasive that young Neander was converted that same day.  Later he actually became an assistant preacher at that very same church.

Joachim loved taking nature/worship walks which often became times when he composed hymns which he sang during his walks. One of his favorite walking spots was a beautiful gorge near his home outside of Dusseldorf.  He so loved this valley that eventually it was named for him: the Neander Valley.  The Old German word for "valley" was "tal" or "thal" with a silent "h". When he was 30--the year he died, he wrote this text while battling the tuberculosis that was to kill him: "Praise ye The Lord the almighty the King of creation. O my soul praise Him for He is my strength and salvation."

Two hundred years later, the valley was used as a source for limestone to manufacture cement. In 1856, miners discovered a series of caves containing human bones.  When William King, an Irish professor of anatomy examined the bones, he declared that they were from a race of people who were the "missing link" in evolution.  They are now known as the Neanderthals, a fully human but extinct group of people of great strength. It is somewhat ironic that a man of great faith became linked with a theory that he probably would have rejected: evolution.  That's the back story or one of the favorite hymns and its author who died tragically young.